Asked at a news conference if the Canadian halfpipe team had gained an advantage thanks to the online trashing of White by their slopestyle counterparts, veteran rider Crispin Lipscomb's answer was short and to the point.

"I'm sorry, who?"

When the laughter died down, Lipscomb explained that he felt his team were in a great position to do well at the Sochi Games, no matter the opposition.

"We've got an edge on all our competitors, we've got a great support team and our great team dynamic, so that stuff is somebody else's game that they play with each other," he told reporters.

"We stick to what we do in the pipe and we can only control what we do there."

Lipscomb and his Canadian team mates will face off against White when the halfpipe competition begins with qualifying on Tuesday.